Part of college football's appeal is that so many programs have vast differences in philosophy, scheme and approach. That's also what makes betting over/unders so fun if you know which matchups to look for.
One book released over/unders for almost every Week 1 college football game, which are listed below. It's Christmas for total bettors.
Week 1 College Football over/unders
Week 1 over/under notes
The lowest totals are Wyoming-New Mexico State (played on Aug. 25) and LSU-Miami (both 45.5). Wyoming returns a stellar defense, while New Mexico State will be run-heavy and keep the clock moving on offense, as it ranked in the top 20 in plays per game last year.
The highest total is SMU-North Texas at 74.
>> All odds as of Aug. 14. Download The Action Network App to get real-time college football odds and track your bets.
My favorite total at first glance is UMass-Boston College over 58.5. Both teams ranked top 35 in plays per game last season, top 15 in possessions per game and return star power on offense. That includes Eagles running back A.J. Dillon, who ran for almost 1,600 yards, and Minutemen QB Andrew Ford, who averaged 8.3 yards per attempt and had a 22/4 TD/INT ratio.
Notre Dame-Michigan under 47.5 is an interesting number, considering the potential experience mismatches on each side of the ball. Notre Dame ranks 98th out of 130 teams in returning offensive production, but first on defense. The Wolverines, who are 15th in returning production on defense, will be breaking in new quarterback Shea Patterson.
Ole Miss-Texas Tech at 68 might seem low for these two teams, but the Red Raiders will play some pretty good defense this season while starting over on offense. If I didn't love Ole Miss' offense so much, I'd be all over this under, although it's still worth considering.
